Taipei City Government

With the flood season right around the corner, the city government conducted an impromptu flood drill in the evening of April 28. After the order of establishing a level 1 disaster response center was given at 7:30 PM, vital personnel from 29 city agencies took up their position at the Emergency Operation Center within 1 hour of the announcement.
 
Mayor Ko Wen-je presided over the work conference in person at the center. Following the session, he visited the Xinyi Road Vehicle Underpass to inspect the drill on dealing with a flooded underpass. Later, he arrived at Zhongxiao Hospital to observe cleaning crew conduct silt removal from blocked ditches in flood-prone areas, verifying the preparedness of first responders.
 
Upon receiving the drill notice, the Hydraulic Engineering Office conducted the exercise which involved the closing of evacuation gates along Keelung River and the levee opening at Nanshen Bridge between 10 PM and 1 AM. The scenario involves responses to rising water levels along Keelung River in the midst of torrential rain.
 
During the work conference, the mayor connected to the disaster response centers of each district and conversed with representatives one-by-one to obtain details on measures implemented by each district. He also randomly selected flood- or mudslide-prone areas, as well as neighborhoods housing key disaster prevention facilities, for further on-the-spot inspections. 
 
The mayor pointed out that even though Taiwan has experienced less-than-average rainfall and face water supply restrictions – even drought-like conditions – during the first half of this year, we are nonetheless heading into the Monsoon and typhoon season in May. Given the increased frequency of sudden torrential rains in recent years, floods can happen within a short period of time. Today’s drill is to test the emergency response capabilities of the respective agencies and, hopefully, identify areas that can be further improved.
 
The Taipei City Disaster Response Center calls upon the public to download the Taipei City Mobile Disaster Prevention App and add the Taipei City Government as friend on LINE, thereby accessing the latest updates related to disaster response